


Without Fail

by twisting_vine_x



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 31 Days Of Halloween, Angst, Cuddling, Fluff, Germany!POV, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Love, M/M, SO MUCH FLUFF, canon-verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 22:23:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2523854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twisting_vine_x/pseuds/twisting_vine_x
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the <a href="http://twisting-vine-x.tumblr.com/post/98876351616/alright-whew-boy-i-am-actually-going-to-do">31 Days Of Halloween challenge</a> on tumblr (prompt: Blood).</p><p>A/N: Basically the one where Ludwig gets hurt, and it’s Feliciano’s turn to honour a certain little promise they made.</p><p>Summary: </p><p><i>The words feel fuzzy, on his tongue; and the room is wavering a bit, again, but – it’s important that Feliciano gets this. It’s important that – god, Feliciano had saved</i> him, <i>for once, and Ludwig had known he’d had it him, he’d</i> knew <i>it, he just – he wishes it had never actually had to happen.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Without Fail

Ludwig’s no stranger to pain.

Pain, he can deal with. _Has_ dealt with, many a time.

This, though.

This is problematic.

Because he’s hurting, yes, but they’re also trapped down a damn pit, and their supplies are gone; and Feliciano is looking at him like his entire world has come crashing down. He might well be even paler than Ludwig himself, and Ludwig’s the one who’s losing blood at a serious rate here.

“Lud… Ludwig…”

He doesn’t have time to talk. He’s too busy tying his shirt as tight as he can around his leg.

 _Fuck_ , that hurts.

The dirt walls are spinning. Someone is making horrible little whining noises. It might be him.

“Ludwig, w-what do I-I… I don’t k-know what to…”

Feliciano sounds about ready to fly apart; and they should have never come out here, just the two of them. They’re hardly a kilometer from base – but still. They should have brought Kiku with them, too. It’s all Ludwig’s fault. That, and the trap they’ve fallen into. Who the _hell_ digs holes for people to fall into, and w _hy_ had Ludwig had to go and land with his thigh on a broken piece of wood, and – though thank god Feliciano hadn’t been the one to – thank god Feliciano is okay.

Nothing matters more than Feliciano being okay.

“Tell m-me what to – tell me, Ludwig, _please_ , I don’t –”

“Just –”

It’s all he manages. He’s too busy with the way his vision is going foggy at the edges.

That’s a lot of blood on the ground.

“You can’t – you _can’t_ be h-hurt, L-Ludwig, I’m not – I’m n-no good at –”

The wood is in his leg, and he needs to leave it there. He’s already bleeding all over the ground – _why_ there, why not lower on his leg, why in such a dangerous spot – and he has to tie another shirt around the wood, as well as he can, below the tourniquet he’s tied above it. He needs to –

It _hurts_.

He only opens his eyes when Feliciano brushes the tears off his face.

Ludwig grits his teeth against the whine.

He can’t pass out. Feliciano won’t be able to get them out of here. And their medical supplies are on the ground above them. Ludwig can’t – he needs to – feels his brain pull tight at the edges.

He _can’t_ pass out.

“You need t-to – tie your – s-shirt around it.”

Feliciano doesn’t say anything. He’s not even crying.

Just staring at him, wide-eyed, and – looks down at his leg, and goes even paler.

Ludwig puts his hand on the piece of wood – swallows bile, a white sheen tinging his vision.

“Feli – I’m going to – you need to – I-I need you to –”

The wave of white comes again, and everything starts spinning, and –

The ground is hard, when he hits it.

\- - -

Everything is soft and warm and nothing on his body hurts.

Ludwig, desperately, doesn’t want to open his eyes.

This can’t be real.

If he wakes up, he’ll be back in that pit, bleeding out right in front of Feliciano; and he can’t do that to him, he _can’t_.

“Ludwig?”

But – he _needs_ to wake up. Need to deal with his leg. Opens his eyes to find Feliciano sitting beside his bed, holding on to his hand, and looking more exhausted than Ludwig’s ever seen him.

“Oh, thank _god_ , I was so w-worried, I thought – never again, _please,_ never g-get hurt again, _ever_ –”

“Feli…?”

Feliciano’s folded over him, suddenly, with his head on his chest, and their fingers still tangled.

Everything’s a bit fuzzy. The walls are white, and the ceiling is white, and his skin is numb.

“Where…?”

“The doctors said – the medication you’re on, it’s strong, we’re – hospital –”

“Am I dreaming?”

“ _No_. No, this is – it’s _real_ , I promise, you’re safe.”

Ludwig feels his heart clench, painfully, as Feliciano sits up – but he doesn’t go far, so that’s okay. Doesn’t let go of his hand, either; and there are tears all down his face, but he’s smiling, suddenly, even it looks shaky and like he could start crying again at any moment, his eyes wide and damp.

“You’re – you’re r-really okay, god, L-Ludwig, I was so _scared_ –”

“What – happened?”

“You – I bandaged – made it as tight as I-I could, because I knew I couldn’t stay, knew I had to – I climbed out and r-ran, as fast as I could, all the w-way back here until I found Kiku, and – you’re the one w-who’s always saying I can run fast, when I need to, aren’t you? Sì, when I _really_ need to, I-I can, I can run, and – I knew I couldn’t get you out of there, I had to find help –”

“You… remembered how to find me?”

“Of course I – Ludwig, of _course_ I did, how, h-how else could I save you? I simply _had_ to remember, and – you’re not allowed to get h-hurt any more, alright? I – I’d rather it was me, next time.”

Feliciano has tears down his cheeks again, and he’s wiping a sleeve across his blotchy red face, and – through the fuzziness, it takes a moment, and then – _no, that’s not okay_ ; and Ludwig only realizes how tight he’s squeezed Feliciano’s fingers when Feliciano winces and squeezes back.

“You don’t – no, you don’t get to get hurt, either. Got it?”

“Ludwig –”

“We’ll keep each other safe. Always. Alright?”

“But – but I’m no g-good at –”

“You just _saved_ me, you –”

“I – it was a _fluke_ , I’m useless at –”

“ _Feliciano_.”

Feliciano takes a deep breath, still squeezing Ludwig’s hand. The room is blurry, but he can see Feliciano’s face; and that’s all that matters. Tugs his hand free until he’s able to lace their pinkies together, and – a new wave of tears starts to spill down Feliciano’s face, and his eyes fall to their hands.

“Ludwig…”

“Remember?”

“Of _course_ I –”

“Good. So we keep each other safe, then.”

The words feel fuzzy, on his tongue; and the room is wavering a bit, again, but – it’s important that Feliciano gets this. It’s important that – god, Feliciano had saved _him_ , for once, and Ludwig had known he’d had it him, he’d _knew_ it, he just – he wishes it had never actually had to happen.

“But – what if I can’t –”

“I don’t need you to magically become some perfect soldier, I just – you, just the way you are, right now – I already feel better knowing I’ve got you watching out for me. At least we know you can run, right?”

Feliciano’s eyes are still on their hands, and it takes him a few seconds; but he finally nods, his cheeks flushing pink and lips turning up in a way that looks a little bit pleased, at least, like he _does_ get what Ludwig’s trying to say, here, and – yeah, that’s enough. Ludwig’s going to pass back out again soon, anyway. Tugs on Feliciano until he lies back down across him, letting Ludwig wrap his arms around him, pulling him in close until Feliciano’s face is pressed into his neck, and – god, he’d almost lost this. They’re going to need to be more careful. Ludwig can’t leave Feliciano alone in this world. He won’t. They’re going to have to just keep on taking care of each other.

“Hey, Ludwig?”

“Mmm?”

“You helped, too, you know, because I only got out by and climbing on your shoulders, and – you’re so _tall_ , and so sturdy, even when you’re sitting down, and – it’s kind of amazing, really.”

Sturdy. He’s tall and sturdy.

Feliciano’s curled up against him, like he can’t get close enough; and Ludwig is _tall and_ _sturdy_ ; and Ludwig is glad that Feliciano can’t see his face, with how stupidly fond his sudden smile is.

“Sturdy, am I?”

“You _are_ , you’re – you’re like a _wall_ , Ludwig, I still don’t know how you do it, a-and –”

Feliciano stops talking and squeaks, instead, when Ludwig kisses his hair, the sudden wave of affection enough to make his chest hurt; and then Feliciano’s climbing out of his chair and lying down beside him, pressing in as close as he can get, not once bumping his leg, and – Ludwig closes his eyes and takes a breath as Feliciano puts an arm over him and snuggles up against him.

“You, you should sleep, Ludwig – you need to rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Promise?”

 _God_ , he’s out of it. It’s a miracle he’s been able to string any words together at all. Feels his skin go a bit hot when Feliciano presses a kiss against his cheek, before curling up against him again.

“Always, Ludwig.”

It’s soft, and sweet, and Feliciano’s fingers have slid back into his, linking their pinkies together, again, and it’s like Ludwig can feel it all through his body; and Ludwig swallows, and pulls Feliciano in closer, and closes his eyes a bit tighter, as Feliciano nuzzles into him and makes a happy little noise, and – no matter what happens, Ludwig is going to keep this man safe. Going to cover him without fail, always, for the rest of their lives.

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone fancies being [tumblr](http://twisting-vine-x.tumblr.com/) buddies, I'm always happy to make new friends. ♥
> 
> (Note: my blog will have major spoilers for the Attack on Titan manga; so if you'd like to be friends and avoid those, the tag to blacklist is, 'aot manga spoilers'.)


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